News Brief

American astronaut Garrett Reisman sent a greeting from space to Israel for its 60th birthday.

Reisman, 40, a mechanical engineer from Parsippany, N.J., is the first Jewish crew member on the international space station. He has been in space since March 11.

“Every time the station flies over the state of Israel, I try to find a window, and it never fails to move me when I see the familiar outline of Israel coming toward us from over the horizon,” Reisman said.